Romans 5:9-11 Commentary

Fear of missing out on salvation hovers over this entire passage. Paul's rivals promoted anxiety in order to gain followers for their false Gospel. Is the death of Christ really good enough? Has Paul interpreted this correctly? The rivals have a program for earning salvation, because they believe only the deserving will be saved. To them, Jesus was saved because he was so righteous and he is our example, so we need to be righteous like him in order to be saved. And that leads to fear, because we know we don't measure up. If you were one of the Jesus-followers in Paul's communities, imagine the anxiety these fear-preachers could produce in audiences gathered to learn about God and Christ. If we have the Gospel wrong, should we expect wrath from God? How terrible if we thought we had peace only to find we are still enemies! May it never be, says Paul.

The outline says it all: Saved from wrath (vs. 9), Reconciled to God (vs. 10), Boasting in God (vs. 11).

SAVED FROM WRATH (Vs. 9). Having now been justified. We have been delivered (a more precise meaning for the word translated in the NASB as "justified"). Paul has just gone over this. Jesus' faith saved us. He died for the helpless and ungodly. By his blood. Jesus said, "This is my blood of the covenant," and lifted a cup of Passover wine with his disciples on the night he was arrested (Mark 14:24). Blood is life and Jesus poured his out for you and me, experiencing death so as to completely immerse himself in our condition to raise us up to his condition. We shall be saved. Future. Deliverance (justification) happened already in the past, so we can expect salvation in the future. From his wrath. The rivals want the Romans worried about divine wrath. Paul says we are already forgiven and there should be no expectation of wrath from God. Through him. By the power and love and faith of Jesus.

RECONCILED TO GOD (Vs. 10). While we were enemies. We see Jesus on the cross asking God to forgive the brutal Roman soldiers and the vengeful enemies within Israel who took delight in his lethal agonies. That's love of a different magnitude. Paul says elsewhere, "you were dead in your offenses" (Ephesians 2:1). In a sense, before we knew Jesus, we were God's enemies and we were in another sense dead. This is because of the "forces" of Sin and Death that infect human life and society. We were reconciled to God. When enemies are reconciled, they are enemies no longer. Jesus calls us his friends, and in another image says we are his family. If God reconciled us while we were enemies, imagine how great his love is for us now! Through the death. He died in order to include us with him. We died with him and we will live with him. Much more. If God did that for us while we were his enemies, how much more will he do in the present and future. We shall be saved by his life. Reconciliation happened already through his death. Paul invites us to imagine final salvation in glory, where we will be saved by his life. The God who forgives enemies and reconciles with them because of his Son's death, will all the more grant us final salvation because his Son lives and will be there at the judgment.

BOASTING IN GOD (Vs. 11). Not only this. Our salvation has multiple aspects. Deliverance (justification) is one of them, but not the only one. We also celebrate in God. "Boast" would be a better translation. Paul's rivals boast in their Law-keeping. Paul is sounding a joyful note and also replacing sinful boasting with wholesome celebration of the right things. At the end of vss. 1-5, Paul speaks of boasting in tribulations (instead of self-righteousness). And now he tells the Roman gentiles, who formerly were not part of any covenant with God, that they may boast in God. We can boast, but in different things than we formerly were proud of. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ showed us that God is love, so that we can rejoice. We have now received this reconciliation. It is done, already received, accomplished by Christ already so that there is no fear.

PRACTICAL LESSONS: Paul asks us to realize, if God reconciled us to himself while we were enemies, how joyful our reception will be as saints when we meet him in person! The result should be joy. We are no longer enemies of God and his attitude toward us should never—even when we sin—be imagined as hostile. What has happened already (past) is reconciliation with God. What is happening (present) is rejoicing in our great blessing now and in the future. What will happen (future) is a great reception of love when we stand before God with Christ at his right hand. Those who formerly had no covenant with God (Gentiles) can now boast in God through Jesus. Paul's rivals wanted Gentiles to be insecure, to think they needed Jewish law-keeping to have a chance with God. Paul runs circles around his rivals when it comes to Jewish knowledge and Paul assures the Romans that in Christ they are free to boast about knowing God and being right with him.

PRAYER: Loving Father, you give us immense joy in your salvation, for who turns enemies into friends like you? Our only boast is in you through Christ, who will greet us at the judgment and welcome us. Truly all praise belongs to you, O Lord!